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Over the last few weeks an untrained (and therefore non BHPA, non-insured) paraglider pilot has been seen on our hills and spoken to several times.

He is a danger to himself, others and to our site agreements.

Please can everyone look out for him and explain the need for training, insurance and club membership. All those things are required to gain the land owner's permission to fly and to comply with the law.

You can put him in touch with me (Dave Lewis, Chief Coach) and I can sort out how best for him to join the BHPA and get his ratings.

I'd declared an ambitious 25km triangle from the Dyke, but after a few frustrating bunfights in thermals, I was doubting whether I'd be able to get away with so many other pilots there. Eventually it got a bit quieter and I pushed out front, found a thermal, flew out the front of it and straight into a super strong core which got me above all the pilots thermalling closer to the ridge within half a 360. A manageable gaggle of about 6 or 7 of us quickly formed and everyone proceeded to outclimb me.

An unknown pilot was observed flying aggressively, causing several pilots to take avoiding action. When a local instructor attempted to talk to him he was less than charming. It is not known if he is a SHGC member.

The club would like to trace the pilot in question to discuss the issue. He would not provide a name, but we have a reasonable description and ask if anyone recognises him, or can keep an eye out for him on the hills.

For not the first time on our sites, a mid-air collision recently ensued when a pilot inflated his wing directly into the path of a flying glider. Not that long ago there was a similar incident at another UK club resulting in profound injury to the airborne pilot...

You absolutely must perform a pre-flight check before each and every inflation of your wing.

Inflating your glider in conditions too strong for your ability can also result in an uncontrolled departure, with risk of injury to bystanders.

As the festival season is well upon us and pilots are flying cross country a timely reminder about the rules for open air assemblies is in order. The idiot paramotoring into Glastonbury will have added a lot of fuel to the CAA's drive to require licensing of FLPA pilots.

Whether you are flying powered or gliding:

- You must fly at least 1000 feet above any organised open air assembly.